The theme of the 55th Annual Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference is Mechanics and Mechanisms of Pulmonary Hypertension. The emphasis will be on the integration of basic, translational and clinical sciences in the area of pulmonary vascular disease and pulmonary vascular-right ventricular axis. The clinical impact of pulmonary hypertension will be explored while identifying the mechanistic events in the disease's pathogenesis. Anchored by twelve state-of-the-art presentations, thematic sessions will address genetic susceptibility and epidemiology, pulmonary vascular stem and progenitor cell biology, role of the right ventricle failure and right ventricular-pulmonary artery coupling, genetic mutations, epigenetics, systemic inflammation, novel targeted therapies, and disease modifying interventions. This focus is in line with the recent effort by the NHLBI to address the mechanisms underlying both pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure/dysfunction. The Conference Summary will be presented by Werner Seeger, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Giessen Hospital. Dr Seeger serves as chairman of the Lung Center, and Director of the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research and is an internationally recognized expert in the field of pulmonary vascular disease. The main objectives of the conference are to 1) provide an international forum for basic and clinical researchers to exchange ideas relating to pulmonary vascular and right ventricular disease; 2) encourage and develop participation in a field where knowledge is rapidly advancing, facilitating entry of junior investigators into the arena via introduction and collaboration with established experts; 3) provide an opportunity for participants to focus in depth on a single topic by review and discussion with internationally recognized clinicians and researchers; and 4) provide an impetus to further research in pulmonary medicine.